The present invention relates to a device for activating and deactivating a load change valve of an internal combustion engine.
The reduction of fuel consumption has recently become more and more important. A possibility to achieve this temporary deactivation of individual cylinders for an engine having multiple cylinders so that the remaining cylinders will operate at higher medium pressure and thus at a reduced specific fuel consumption. For deactivating the cylinder it is not only required to interrupt the fuel supply. Expediently, the load flow through the corresponding cylinders is also interrupted by deactivating the load change valves, especially the intake valves, of a respective cylinder.
A device of the aforementioned kind is disclosed in German Patent application 197 49 124.3, unpublished as of the filing of the instant German priority application. In this device of the aforementioned kind an actuating member is movably guided within the rocker arm in addition to a coupling device, whereby the actuating member actuates the valve. This actuating member is selectively coupled by the coupling device rigidly to the rocker arm or is released for a movement relative to the rocker arm for deactivating the valve.
It is an object of the present invention to embody a device of the aforementioned kind such that its design and construction is simplified.